


A.I.D. (Arcalian in distress)

by arkytiorforemancampbell



Series: The Mary Sue Adventures [2]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Gallifrey (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Gen, RP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-13
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-03-12 05:51:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3345926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arkytiorforemancampbell/pseuds/arkytiorforemancampbell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No possible summary could not be spoilery for the events of Gallifrey Intervention Earth. Which is funny, considering this story was written long before it came out, but heh! Let's face the inevitable with brevity: The ancient and mighty Omega is and aways will be a huge Damsel in Distress. Good thing he kinda manages to be a Damsel in Distress with style.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A.I.D. (Arcalian in distress)

**Author's Note:**

> Co-author: abandonedgod (tumblr url, they don't have an ao3 account).
> 
> (this was originally a roleplay thread)

A small figure landed heavily on the dirty floor, shouting abuse too vile to repeat to the two guards - half gorillas and half slugs, not a pleasant view - responsible for her arrival. As the two walked away, the newcomer looked up, meeting the gaze of another prisoner, chained to the wall. "Uh. Hi. Sorry for the French..."

He even didn’t look at her, nor at the guards, and spoke only when they left them in a hurried manner. As if they were afraid of something. “You are going to feed me. Three times a day. Otherwise you will die. By their hand. Questions?”

Milly got to her feet, brushing her clothes with her hands to try (with little success) to get rid of the mud and dirty straw.  She walked nearer to her fellow inmate and studied him for a few moments. “I… what?” she asked, doing her best to look unimpressed. “Are you serious?”

He was a bit malnourished and worn out but otherwise he was fine. Finally, he looked at her and gave her a crooked smile. “Deadly serious, Time Child. I am chained to a wall so I can’t do it for myself, obviously. And they desperately want to keep this body alive and yet they’re too afraid to approach me. So they’re using insignificant creatures to do their duties. Now they want to use you since they think you can last longer.”

Only a few weeks ago, Milly would have just given him a snarky remark as an answer - maybe something about him looking more like a salami than a danger right now, maybe something a little more polite. But experience was finally starting to teach her that if someone - or something - claimed to be very dangerous, it either meant he was going for a very desperate bluff, or that the danger was real. In this case, she had the weird feeling both things were true.

"Time tot, huh?" she muttered, leaning close to the prisoner a bit more than the rules of personal space deemed polite, and giving him a quick sniff. She frowned. Besides the obvious unpleasant smells of the room he’d been in, he kinda smelled like one of her own kind. Not exactly though. Maybe a shobogan? Nah, her time sense said this one had travelled. One of those weird-ass oldbloods then. Possibly.

"Last longer. Wow. Like that’s doesn’t sound ominous or anything. Sure i’ll help you as much as I can, for as long as I’m here. Wasn’t planning on staying long though. You know… I was thinking more along the lines of ‘get-the-heck-out-of-here-asap"."

She moved away from him, making a first round of inspection of the cell. No obvious ways out striking her imagination for now. “Mind… ” she went on, still walking around checking stuff - “I wouldn’t be opposed to some cooperation. I’d gladly take my leave with some company, as soon as i find out how. Unless you want to stay. But as for me, if my plans involved spending an indefinite amount of time stuck in a room with some uptight compatriot, i’d have stayed on Gallifrey altogether.”

 

It was very fortunate for her that she decided to be a bit more cautious with her tongue. Omega wasn’t in the mood for playing around with children and he had little patience for insolence in general. Nobody would be able to help her.

"Time Child. Not Time Tot. There is a small semantic difference between these two terms. As a Time Lord you should be aware of the importance of details," he had no doubt who she was. But her strange behaviour left him wondering why she just didn’t touch his mind as it was common in Gallifreyan customs when it comes to greetings. Maybe she was telepathically impaired and relied mostly on her scent. Not that he cared much though.

"When nothing entertains me, I tend to play with other creatures’ mind. Perhaps they thought I will refrain from doing that to the member of my race. And that may be true if you listen to me," he ignored her calling him ‘uptight’ for now. She was a Time Lady and therefore much smarter than the rest of inmates he had to deal with so escaping the prison should be possible.

"Well thanks, very considerate of you. I’ve had enough cowboys in there already. And i’m not a Time Lord yet. I’m taking a… break from school. A gap year or ten. Not in trouble, mind you. Just temporarily missing. Bidding my time as long as I decide about… career choices. In the meanwhile, I hitchhike."

She finally gave up about the room and sat on the floor, cross legged, looking up at the other prisoner.

"Which means I have no personal transport anywhere near. Hope you weren’t counting on that."

She drew a deep breath. “Still, could be worse. Now then, tell me. I’m listening.”

"I am not even trying to pretend I am a cowboy. Though I must admit I do fancy riding a vortisaur. But now it is insignificant. I have to admit you are right. You are a Time Tot, indeed. Still better than any lesser creature. The plan is not that complicated. All you have to do is unchaining me. These morons were clever enough to use cuffs that actually can keep me still in once place. So. You unchain me, I hypnotize the guards, we find our baggage and head to the harbour. Then we steal one of their ships and leave as quick as possible to the planet where I hid my TT-capsule," he glared at a guard that approached them in meantime and growled at them to use the language common for the sector they were currently in. Unfortunately, the gaoler didn’t approach the cell close enough for Omega to reach its mind.

"No, I meant…  wait you’ve really ever ridden a vortisaur?" Milly shook her head. "Ok no, sorry, not the moment. Well ‘not complicated’ is an understatement. Also, do tell me, is there something in my face that keep making people think i can pick locks and open handcuffs with no tools whatsoever? It keeps happening to me a lot,  lately…"

She spent a few moments hopelessly digging into her pockets. To no avail. Sure, now that she had  seen who the slugrillas were keeping in their cellar, she could see why her captors were not fooled by dimensionally trascendental pockets. “Nothing. And please don’t come asking me if i have a hairpin. Been there, done that. We’ll need to actually snatch a key from a guard or something. Too bad we’re most probably in that 97% of the known universe where the “dead prisoner” trick has been overused for millennia…”

"Yes, of course. It is not very hard. Easier than travelling through the vortex in an underdeveloped TT-capsule. That’s a ride, I’m telling you. But. Back to business. There’s nothing in your face like that. From the very beginning I was talking about stealing the key from the guard. Nowadays children depend too much on technology. Anyway, you should be able to that because you are a telepa—… or maybe not. You haven’t even tried to make a telepathic contact with me. Oh no, wait. You’re a child, after all. And now Gallifreyans are not that skilled, are they? Well. Just try to charm them or something. Probably that’s our only chance."

"Not that skill… oi! Watch your tongue, you… relic! Just so you know, my very house has loomed one of the best telepaths of the Rassilon Era since the times of old Salyavin. So fly low with your staunch oldblood propaganda."

She tried her best to look more pissed than she actually felt - not so much to fool her new acquaintance, as to fool herself. As long as she kept playing tough, she could procrastinate actually worrying for her situation. She knew from experience than once you allowed fear to creep on you, you were good and done.

"And i’m keeping to myself because I don’t trust you. You’ve not been exactly welcoming so far, have you? You’ve not even told me your name. Not even a fake one. Nor your house, or chapter, or anything. You just went on spewing orders…"

"I have no information about oldbloods, newbloods and their propaganda so I have no idea what are you talking about and I am far from being interested in meaningless disputes," he tried not to flinch while hearing his ‘friend’s’ name.

"You are very loud, child. And things are usually loud when they’re empty inside. Trying to cover your vulnerability with false bravado? How quaint. Especially when you demand personal information while you yourself haven’t introduced your yapping self. All I know is that you’re a loomliing from a new House and that’s all. So maybe instead of sniffing like a woprat and greet me properly like Gallifreyans do before I loose my already strained patience and squash your mind with mine!"

Milly went for a witty remark, but a small strangled sound came out intead. She swallowed hard and tried again. How obscenely old had this one to be, not to have even heard of newblood houses?

"Yeah I… you… know how to make people at ease, don’t you?".

She got up to her feet again, walking towards him. “Ok then. If you have time to spare, the full name thing would be vha’der’fjijeradazfjifaracyeiasyivhacet’arcytiorpezurPrydonmasi. But the last time someone used it all, it was nothing less than our President. Most people call me Milly. From House Oakdown, for what it counts. I’m nobody of importance. I didn’t even do anything interesting to end up here. Just some slight cultural misunderstanding.”

\- she knew she was babbling just to procrastinate actually doing as she was told. She wasn’t sure why she was so reluctant to communicate with this one. It wasn’t like her to be so suspicious. And besides, if he had any reason to brag about his supposedly great mind powers , why was he asking for her help to trick a guard into getting them out? She suspected he was in a worse condition than his looks made perceive. She drew a deep breath, gathered that little courage she could scratch from the bottom of her (small) personal reserve of it, and gently laid a hand on the stranger’s cheek, to help him establish a contact. Good thing she had nothing to hide…

He didn’t need help to establish the contact. Being close enough he would easily get through her mental barriers and inspect every aspect of her mind. The only reason he urged that form of communication was the fact that in his times a slight touch of minds used for recognition was a common courtesy within their race and he was stubborn enough to stick to these customs.

On the other hand instead of being delicate he just opened his mind letting her feel the weight of his age and power, leaving no doubt of who he was and what he had done for her and her race. While keeping the mental contact he added information about the cuffs and how they suppressed his psychic powers, limiting them to the closest area so the guards were too far for him to reach.

"Well, then, vha’der’fjijeradazfjifaracyeiasyivhacet’arcytiorpezurPrydonmasi. Will you now just shut up and instead of being arrogant start to cooperate. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life here since I don’t think you are immortal."

Milly backed away hastily enough to end up crashing against the door of their cell, the bones of her back eliciting a loud and painful “clang” from the strong, metal bars.

"Cora Rasilonmas*" she breathed out, too shocked to shout and therefore wasting most of the cathartic effects of the heaviest swearword she knew.

For a while she just stood there, gasping like a yaddlefish out of the water - marginally proud she remembered how to breathe. Finally, she managed to find her voice again.

"How the actual Frack did you… how are you even… Woah. I mean… woah. That’s massive! That’s… wow."

For a moment she thought she were about to go curl up in a corner and cry. That was the right thing to do: a good old reasonable breakdown. Just go lay down, close her eyes and wait for something to come and save her - or eat her, no big difference. Instead- to her own surprise - she found herself jumping up and down in excitement.

"Ok" she said, swallowing a small hysterical giggle. "Let’s do it. We just need to get a guard near enough for me to persuade him to help. At touch distance if possible. Ok. We just need to… need to… uh…" - she appeared to study the ceiling, as she hoped to find inspiration in the cobwebs and mould spots.

"Yes! So. You told me you screwd up your previous cellmates. If that were to happen again, that would grant us attention, right? Forget what I just said about that 97% thing: in our case, we have a precedent. Well, several of them. It may work. It would upset all the gods of cliché plans, but it may work…"

Out of many reactions he had already witnessed, this one was definitely one of his favourite. “Relax. Double cardiac infraction is not something we need right now,” he tried to change his position to more comfortable one though it wasn’t an easy task while being chained to a wall.

"They killed previous inmates from a distance and leave them for a day or three to irritate me so that’s not an option. But. I already mentioned that they desperately want to keep me alive. Perhaps because they know that if this body dies I will become quite… unstable. And when I’m unstable, I tend to be genocidal. And since in my bodiless state no chains can hold me down… Never mind. The point is, maybe it will be better if I pretend that my state is getting worse so that they actually will enter the cell. Just don’t even try leaving me here and escaping alone. You’ll get yourself killed in no time. Understood?"

"Escaping alone? Leaving one of the actual hecking Founders behind? Who do you take me for?!

Had Milly been a bit less starstruck, she would have realized that, put this way, it was like implying she would have considered running away alone had he been just some random bloke. Which was a bit unfair to herself. She would have probably done her best to help in any case. Not for some high moral principle, but because people snatching travelers and throwing them in dungeons felt just wrong to her.

"Wow. So my plan was bad. Bad, bad plan. I’d rather stay in one piece thanks. And about yours… I don’t know. I doubt they could bethat stupid. I mean, they kinda look like primate slugs, so they maybe, but they don’t act like it. How about when they bring food? They do bring food, right? I can see they don’t come in to clean, but…” - she gave a disgusted glance at the hole in the ground that was supposed to work as a toilet. Definitely not a good place for a long stay.

"Oh well, you’re older and wiser. Whatever you suggest, I’ll try it. Just try not to get me killed, I’ve just started living."

She didn’t call him a monster so he had that going which was nice. “I take you for a Time Child. I thought we made that clear much earlier. And the guards are clever enough that pulling that trick wouldn’t work if I hadn’t have another Time Lord working with me. Each time they approach me, the cuffs inject bigger amount of that mixture that keeps my psychic powers at bay. Fortunately, they don’t use that on regular basis because it does no good to our immune system so they don’t want me to overdose. With these precautions it was impossible for me to escape earlier. Since you seem to be much more clever than the previous inmates, you actually would be able to charm them. I understand your hesitation though. They indeed may not fall for it but we have any other option. While bringing the food they don’t make any contact and just push it into the cell with a long stick. Unless you’ve seen something that can be helpful.”

"Ugh. How long have you been here? Must have been hell…"

Milly couldn’t help feeling glad their captors weren’t reserving the same treatment to her. Well, she had not given them any reason to… yet. Omega was a legendary figure, while she was just an hitchhiker. Not their problem…

"That’s it!" she said out loud, following the train of thoughts. "I’m not a problem. Not their problem. And with whoever comes in all worried about keeping you from turning into an all-powerful-disembodied-vengeful-spirit-thing, i’ll definitely be Sombody Else’s Problem. Now, i may not have been the sharpest knife in the drawer back home, but I’ve picked up a trick or two from the Hitchhiker subculture and… well, i guess given time to concentrate and maybe some help i could manage to generate a small [SEP](http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Somebody_Else's_Problem_field)field. Now, on itself it wouldn’t help much but… it could give me a chance to get nearer to a guard. Either to pick his pockets or to get to touch him. I may fool two. I doubt i could take more, though.”

He ignored the first question deeming it as rhetoric. The first thing you learn while staying in an antimatter universe is patience. Especially when you spend there millennia.

The captors weren’t reserving the same treatment for her not because she was insignificant in general but she just couldn’t harm them as much as Omega could and definitely would.

Hearing her outburst he raised his eyebrow listening to her plan. “I don’t know much about the Hitchhiker subculture but it seems that this SEP field is some kind of perception filter. And don’t worry about the guards. I don’t think more than two will show up since it never happens. But remember - when they enter the cell, my telepathic abilities will be switched off completely so I won’t be able to help you with maintaining the SEP field. Can you handle that?”

"Yes you got the principle right. And yes I think I could. It’s easy enough, even lesser species can pull this off with a bit of training. I’ve never tried under pressure though, and i’m not sure i could keep it on when I actually touch someone .. you know, it would be much easier for me to just sneak out when they’re busy with you. No wait…" she hasted, as soon as she noticed her choice of words may have been misleading, "I didn’t mean in that way. Just… to go find a way to get you out for good. But then again, not a good idea maybe. And I couldn’t ask you to trust me. I mean, I wouldn’t trust myself in your place, so… nevermind. Better stick to the plan. I’ll sit out of sight and try to charm the nearest one. It may even work."

She looked pensive for a moment, then asked, out of the blue: “I wonder… If you’re immortal - sort of - and all powerful and everything… why are you letting them keep you here? Couldn’t you just give up that body and… i don’t know, destroy the whole planet or something? Not that i’d recommend it. Not while i’m near i mean…”

"It’s not easier for you to sneak out because they will notice your absence in no time. They know you’re supposed to be right here so the SEP field won’t help you. Pickpocketing on the spot is a better option but you have to be careful. And delicate. And focused. You can’t look at what they will do to do to me but ignore everything and do your job. Otherwise you’ll fail and that will result in your painful death. Anyway, you can always try to knock them out if you happen to get grip on something hard. I’m not sure if we should do it as soon as possible or wait several days," he sighed, shifting once again.

"I don’t want to become a vengeful monster again," he muttered more to himself than to her.

"Right. Well I’m glad you don’t. As I said, I’d rather stay alive. As for the timing… well, while reason says "wait", that poo-hole I’d be supposed to call a toilet says "nope". Acting today would be foolish enough, but ask me to spend more than a night in this rathole and i’ll be the one to consider becoming a vengeful monster. You know what? I’ll just wait for them to bring food and take the chance to study them a bit. Maybe attempt a delicate scan of their most superficial thoughts. Not that i hope to get lucky and catch one revising the dungeon map as a way to keep himself busy but… you never know what you could pick up. And on the plus side, you can have a full meal for once. You look famished, and you’ll need some strenght if we’re to run. So. Will it be long before they come?"

Indeed. Maybe if they considered better conditions, I wouldn’t try to destroy their minds on each given occasion. One thing is for sure - they didn’t know what they were doing while taking me here and when they realised their mistake, it was already too late. Now they don’t know what to do with me and they’re too scared to set me free. Which is perfectly understandable, mind you. Food…" he lost himself in his thoughts for a moment, silently counting. "I think last time they gave me food, it was around ten days ago. Maybe eleven. So perhaps they’ll bring some quite soon…ish. It is a good idea, I have to admit. Although I can share some of their thoughts, more recent ones are indispensable. I just hope my body won’t shut down any time soon. It tends to do that from time to time, despite of being in perfect condition. My mind is too much for it, apparently," he moved again, trying to restore blood circulation in his hands.

Milly didn’t comment about the food. She had no idea he’d been left to starve so long. All things considered, it could be wiser to wait a bit longer, maybe wait a few meals to let him gain his strenght back. The hell with the toilet thing, she could survive the awkwardness of taking a dump in front of one of the Founders. Well, put like that it sounded more awkward then ever, but…

"Shut down? Like, going catatonic in the middle of a chase or while piloting a spaceship? Any other good news you forgot to give me?"

She sighed. “Well, if that happens, i hope I’ll be able to help you in any way. Can it be prevented? Maybe I could help… share the weight somehow? Anyway, for now, let’s just take things as they come. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best, as a friend used to say. As a matter of facts, I usually end up being prepared for the best and fearing the worst, but that’s beside the point. Now we… hush! I heard a noise… are they coming?”

"Well… Yes. Something like that. Although I can still talk. My senses remain intact. I just can’t move for five-ten spans, and that’s all. It doesn’t happen too often but when it does, it’s extremely irritating and I hate each and every moment of it. It can’t be prevented - believe me, I tried to find a way to stop it from happening but I failed miserably. So yes, let’s hope that it won’t happen during our esca—" he cut it short. Indeed, someone was coming so it was better for them to remain silent, even though it was impossible for the guards to understand Gallifreyan. And fortunately they brought food so after leaving two bowls within the girl’s reach, they backed off hastily, not wanting to be too close to the ancient being more than it was necessary.

"I don’t think you’ll like our dinner. Since you’re complaining so much when it comes to our luxurious toilet."

"I wasn’t planning on eating anyway." she said, as the guards walked away.  "I will, if we stay long enough for me to get really hungry, but for now, I’ll skip." She picked up one of the bowls - which didn’t smell appetizing at all - and brought it to her cellmate. "I guess asking for a spoon would be too much? Not that there’s much solid substance in there anyway…"

She awkwardly lifted the bowl so he could drink. The trick, she thought, was trying to forget it was one of the goddamm Founders she was feeding. She considered advising him to go easy with the soup, but that would send her awkwardness level completely off the scale, so she changed the subject instead.

"Good news is, i had the chance to do a quick scan of the guards. No psychic awareness whatsoever. I wonder how much they could really understand about what you are and what you… what really happened in this cell. Unless their superiors are of a different league, I may actually be able to get us out of here."  - Saying that, she realized just now she had not really been much hopeful in regards to their plans so far.

He loathed each and every moment of staying in the cell, especially when he had to be fed. He was one of the most powerful beings in this universe, and the state he was in was insulting his dignity. He had no choice though, but swallowing his pride along with that terrible liquid that was comparable only to the food to the Academia’s canteen during his childhood. Pythia wasn’t so keen on funding any scientific facilities at that time.

The fact that he had to rely so much on a child was unnerving as well. The kid still was far from graduation and foolishly decided to hitchhike instead of gaining more knowledge before undertaking such dangerous activities as wondering around on her own through the universe. And again Omega was left with no other option but hoping that he would finally get away without destroying his own body.

"They know I’m too dangerous and they actually dug their own grave. That’s more than enough. Good thing is that they should be easy to hypnotise for you so there actually is some hope for us," Omega answered after several sips of the so-called-dinner. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about their plan though.

"Just so I know… on the optimistic chance we actually get out of here… are you planning on getting revenge on those creatures? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t, just asking in advance. Just… to be sure about your priorities."

She studied his face, to make sure she was going to survive the next sentence. What she saw told her to shut the hell up, but something was definitely bugging her, and she feared that if she had not gotten it all out, it may have grown in her thoughts and hindered her duties later.

"I understand you’re angry but… i’m not sure they deserve a massacre. And you look like you’re thinking about doing just that. Sure they’re being horrible to you, but to be fair… you are a scary thing, and they found themselves dealing with more than they could handle. They’re just… barbarians. Cruel as it may be, their reaction is understandable.

"Of course, you don’t think they deserve that. You haven’t been chained to a wall and tortured for a long time so why would you even consider that? Anyway. For now all I care about is to escape this place and get back to my TT-Capsule. That is definitely a priority and I don’t have enough strength to think about anything beyond that. I bet Erydice is worried about me. Scary thing. I can be nice and gallant if others fulfil my requirements. Which are not chaining me to a wall and or torturing. So if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste. Use all your well-learned politesse or I’ll lay your soul to waste," the last two sentences he actually hummed under his nose.

Well, this was new. Looking at this man, and listening to his harsh words, Milly had come up with some words for him herself. Scary - despite whatever he may say. Desperate. Dirty and starved and in a bad way. Unfriendly. Ancient. Threatening. Legendary. Annoying. Pitiful.

So how was it that now she was wondering if he could even be - given a better situation, sure - charming?

She would never have thought it possible, but then again, hearing him hum a fragment of some forgotten human rock song - she’d never listened to it, but she recognized the style - … well, that went near to sending flutterwings flying in her stomach.

Or maybe she was hungry. Not enough to touch the soup though. Not by far.

"Yes, all right" she said, a little smile rising from inside, "I’ll try to do as you say. Well learned politesse and all. So. I get it Erydice is a TARDIS?"

If she called him desperate, annoying or pitiful out loud, he’d surely show her how unfriendly and threatening he could be. So it was definitely better for her to stay quiet about things like that. Omega was completely unaware of her thoughts though since he refrained from even gently touching her mind with his, deeming it as rude for that very moment. After all he was the one previously talking about telepathically destroying creatures unfortunate enough to be within his reach.

"A TARDIS? What is a TARDIS?" he asked, tilting his head on side a bit, looking directly into her eyes. Omega still wasn’t in touch with many things, especially in the field of contemporary nomenclature.

The eye contact gave the flutterwings in her belly little more substance.

"Oh, right… it’s an acronym. Time And Relative Dimensions in Space. Or Dimension, singular, the debate was never quite settled on that point. A girl named Arkytior came up with that and then it somehow became mainstream as a colloquial term for TT capsules. Well, it happened a few centuries before I was loomed… you mean you’ve never been home in all this time?"

She walked to the door, to check that nobody was anywhere near to eavesdrop. “Also i was wondering… how did you get that body? And if I may ask, which… huh…” - very hard to ask something like this politely in a xenophobic society like theirs - “which species is it, so to say?”

"TARDIS it is then. Sounds terrible but complaining will make me sound even more like a living fossil which I actually am," he sighed. "No. I have not visited our planet since the Qqaba mission. I am unwelcome there because of my wrongdoings during my unstable state so I do not even try to approach Kasterborous, not to mention Gallifrey. I am a renegade, after all," it was hard to tell whether he regretted it or not since the tone of his voice at that moment was completely emotionless.

"I made a trade. And it is of a Time Lord. That’s all you need to know right now," he cut it short not wanting to dwell into the topic, finding it completely unnecessary at that time.

"You’re not missing much. If one wanted to be overdramatic, he could say Gallifrey is dying - of boredom. Choking on its own history. Some day there’ll be the barbarian hordes at the doors, and our leaders will spend their last hours arguing over the stationery supplies. Renegades and criminals have it better. There’s at least two or three only in my House right now… I’m not on the list of course. Still registered as a good citizen, and plan on keeping it this way as long as i can."

"Oh. Well you smelled like one, but I couldn’t be sure." She avoided to think of the implication of the phrase ‘of a Time Lord’. Whatever had happened, it was none of her business.  ”That’s good, isn’t it? Also it explains how you could survive so long… in this condition. Well then. I guess it’s time to decide what to do. In case we… sorry, when we manage to get out of here, what are we going to do then? I’ve not seen much of this dungeon. Have you? I guess the wisest course of action would be revising our plans, getting some rest and then just going for it.”

-Before I lose my courage- she thought, but didn’t say.

"You are young so I would not expect any other opinion on our little planet, to be honest. Youngsters rarely appreciate the luxury of peace. On the other hand I have heard of Gallifreyan bureaucracy and even though I find your statement hyperbolic, I would not be surprised if Gallifrey fell because of the amount of red tape. Do you think that you still have a clear record after leaving the planet?" he shifted again. Each and every position he could be in was bloody uncomfortable.

"I know where the ward is. And where they keep my belongings. If we get there, I can quick-scan the facility and get the full map. I believe I have several weapons stacked in my pockets so self-defence should not pose any problems. So we retrieve my belongings, head to the harbour, steal a ship and find my TT… I mean TARDIS."

"Maybe not spotless, but clean enough, and certainly cleaner that i deserve. My House already had its fair share of scandal and the last thing they need is to bring attention to their personal little Owis case - not that I am, I mean the cousin i replace is kinda still roaming around causing trouble, but he’s well past the thirteen-limit, so from a legal point of view he’s arguably alive and…"

The look on Omega’s face made her stop. “Nothing I’m saying makes any sense, does it? I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s hard to conceive how ancient you are. I keep forgetting most of my world didn’t exist at all in your time. Well, it’s a comforting thought after all. Means even our kind is capable of some change. Anyway, long story short, my House is in enough disgrace as it is and will probably do its best to cover up for me. Which doesn’t mean I can predict what will happen when I’ll finally show up. But that’s hardly the first of my problems now…”

Milly listened attentively to the plan, and smiled in surprise when the ancient, mighty Omega used the new word he’d just learnt from her. He sure was a remarkable man.

"That may work. As for my belongings, I don’t really care. If they’re in the same place, good. If not, it’s nothing money can’t buy back. Not that I have any, but I guess you’ll… reward me for saving your arse or something?"

"Later on you can explain it everything to me in detail, with every aspect of your House’s quaint history. First of all I have to get the grasp of Gallifrey’s contemporary society in general to understand lesser histories. Maybe not today. Today I do not have any patience for such things. And it’s not that comforting. I have no mental anchor and everything seems alien to me. It’s not that comfortable, you know."

Omega definitely was quick a learner and since he was the man of progress, he wanted to become as much familiar as possible with contemporary novelties, including language. There’s no progress without knowledge.

"For saving my arse!" he snorted in disbelief. "The saving arses thing is mutual, young lady. You won’t escape without my help!"

"Yes well… that’s a way to see it. Though maybe if it weren’t for you, they wouldn’t have put me here for so little…"

'And maybe they would have just jettisoned me out of an airlock on our way here' she thought, but didn't say.

"About Gallifrey… well sorry for my choice of words. I kinda know how it feels. Sure I never experienced anything as radical as being in a black hole for millennia, but I’ve been cut off from the hive completely and also ended up on Gallifrey in the wrong time once or twice - still keeping a clean record, go wonder - and at first i thought i was going insane, so… i can at least try to relate. Well, then, I was thinking… If we’re planning on staying for a night of sleep and some breakfast…"

She drew a deep breath and looked at him in the friendliest way she could manage: “I could try and help you feeling a bit less disconnected. I still think Gallifrey is the dullest place in this universe, but I also have nice memories. I could share them with you. If you agree not to crush my mind, i mean. But if you think that could help, i may as well risk it. Would it help?”

"My presence here is the only reason they didn’t kill you when you perhaps made a remark that offended them. You said something about cultural misunderstanding and judging from your behaviour towards me you said something extremely insulting and that led to your imprisonment here. So learn your lesson and be more humble," he growled with anger but with a sigh he calmed himself down before speaking again.

"I know you have good intentions but you don’t have to show compassion or anything like that towards me. I accepted my fate long before you were born and even though I tend to feel very bitter, I don’t need any help. So don’t think much about it and concentrate on our plan. Though I have to admit your offer is very tempting. For your information on contemporary Gallifrey I can show you how it used to be before my isolation. With that you could get a better grade in your history exam. Unless the history has been altered for someone’s convenience… Of course it was altered. There’s no other option."

"Deal" she said, a wide smile going all across her face. Screw rewards. She could earn enough money for a new copy of the guide and a towel working in the fields or doing maths for some transport ship. What Omega was offering was invaluable. "We’ll do it once we’re safe on your Eurydice then. And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful to you. Nor to the slugzilla’s masters, for what it matters now. But yes I see your point. And I am afraid you are right about history too. I mean, it does ring a bit wrong that of three founders, the only one not described as an utter psychopath is the same one that lived long enough to be there when the history books were written. Even a child could see through this play. It’s basic schoolyard politics really. How adults seem to manage to forget it all and just… repeat whatever they’re told like terrestrial parrots, that will always elude me. Well, unless I end up like them once I grow up. If I somehow manage to live long enough to grow up at all.”

"Well. I am a psycho, so the books are not that wrong, to be honest," he showed her a crooked smile. "Don’t worry, you will grow up. It’s not the worst situation I have been in so worry not. Just hide your insolence and bravado deep inside yourself and become more wary and focused. And, what’s more important, listen to me and don’t leave my side. Once we retrieve my belongings, we’re more or less safe. Unless we’re downed while being in a ship. That actually can be troublesome. Have you ever piloted anything?"

"The right question would be ‘have you ever piloted anything succesfully’. Let’s just say that the very idea of me anywhere near the controls of anything more complex than a bike would sent shivers down the spine of many driving instructors. And even on a bike i managed to do some damage. Then again, I was in Oxford, so it wasn’t completely my fault. Anyway, our best hope is you won’t need my help behind the wheel.

And yes, I’ve been in worse trouble too. It’s not just the present predicament that makes me question my future, as much as the general trend. I’m starting to get used to this kind of situations, and i think I’m still a bit too young for that…”

"In other words the only thing I need you for is unchaining me," he sighed deeply, shaking his head. "That’s not promising. And knowing myself there’s enough decency left in me not to leave you alone even though you seem to pose more problems than be an actual advantage. What are the chances for you tripping over your own legs?" he grumbled for the sake of grumbling, covering his own uneasiness. There were several other things that he considered much worse than getting killed and he hoped that he wouldn’t have to experience them thanks to his bad luck or her clumsiness.

"The fact we’ve been in worse situations doesn’t make this one any less deadly."

"Well, not directly maybe. But the fact that I’ve seen a thing or two and come out of it alive does at least mean that i seldom ‘trip over my own legs’ when it really matters. You know vampires, right? You already had those in your time. I stumbled into a whole family of them on my second day off Gallifrey. Yet here I am, still the first of me, alive to tell the story, with a full set of limbs. This must mean something. And anyway it’s not like I’m asking you to take me with you… wherever you’re going after we get away from this craphole. Just drop me on the first decent planet and I’ll go on from there on my own.”

"I hope that your luck is contagious then," he smiled faintly, bot particularly wanting to explain that he meant leaving her with slugrillas but maybe that wasn’t a good idea since she was a key factor to the first part of their plan. She could get angry and everything could fail.

"I know vampires. I fought them. But I don’t think the vampires you saw were the same vampires from my time. The Great Vampires were giants and a single one of them would drain a whole planet. Maybe they were somehow connected with each other but I doubt they’re the same species," he shrugged making a clinging sound.

Milly smiled. “True that. It looks like my universe has somehow become a smaller-than-life reflection of yours. Though I may have let out the “not giant” detail one of the last times I told the story. Poetic licence. The friend i was telling it to isn’t easily impressed…”

She wondered how the Stranger would have reacted if he knew she’d met nothing less than one of the lost Founders. She didn’t meet the Scendles pirate often, but when she did, part of the fun was boasting about her adventures - taking liberties with details, of course - just to see his face. He never looked much impressed, but that somehow added to the fun instead of diminishing it.

"About my luck, well, being contagious is the only way for it to work at all in this case, don’t you think?"

What she really meant - but couldn’t find the right words to say - was that she was aware that once he was free, she would be completely dependant on him. There was no way for her to put herself first and survive, while for him, helping her or leaving her behind was a matter of choice. That also meant that she was prepared to put him first in any trouble that they may face - not out of altruism, but for merely logical reasons. The hardest thing to express with words, though, was that she somehow felt at ease with this thought.

"We’ll be ok" she said instead. Without crossing his gaze, she worked to clear a small portion of floor to lay down on. She regretted not having her towel anymore. "Now I’d rather close my eyes for a while. Wake me up if you need me".

***

***

Milly sat in the mud, looking down at the wreckage that was still burning on the bottom of the small crater that marked the spot of their crash landing. "Well... look at the bright side" she said, with the face of someone who wasn't much into looking at the bright side of anything. "We're not dead."

 

He looked exhausted but still somehow managed to stand, one could say thanks only thanks to his willpower. “I… I think some of equipment is more or less usable,” he murmured knowing that the fire will be extinguished by itself. With a deep sigh he took out a scanner and mapped the area in the radius of approximately two kilometres. “At least we won’t be bothered.”

 

"We won’t receive help either." said Milly. "It doesn’t look like there’s a hotdog stand anywhere near. Still, could be worse. At least there’s air. Bit too stark for my taste, and i don’t like the gravity much either, but all things considered I can’t complain."

She pulled herself back a few feet, until she got to a slightly less damp spot of barren ground. She let herself lay down on her back, looking at the sky. “The clouds are a weird colour. I wonder if it’s going to rain. That would be just perfect, don’t you think?”

She didn’t really care much about the rain. The very worse scenario was a thunderstorm. Or acid rain, but judging by the fact that the mud wasn’t chewing at her clothes - Milly had checked as soon as she had seen the clouds - that wasn’t very likely.  Sure, stranded on an unknown lump of rock without a good set of instruments, you could never know, but after a few months hitchhiking you started to develop an instinct for that kind of things, and this place felt, all things considered, fairly safe.

"Well, Mister, it appears that after a valiant fight, my ‘contagious luck’ finally had to yield to your legendary bad fortune. Though one may object that ðita’ Fortune must have been smiling upon us till the very end, as we’re out here complaining about the weather, instead of in there smashed into a pulp…”

"We don’t need any help. And if you’re hungry, you can take one of my weapons and hunt something down. I actually would appreciate it. According to my scanner these aren’t rainy clouds so fear not. Just look," he handed her the scanner and walked back till the edge of the nearest cliff, looking around.

"Could be much worse. I can use some parts of the wreckage to create a manual pilot and summon my TT… TARDIS here but it may take some time. But! First things first!" he took another step back and fell from the cliff.

If Milly came closer, she could see that right after the cliff there was an enormous lake with its surface disturbed by a relatively big object that plunged right into the water. After a moment or two Omega surfaced and flipping back his hair. It had been a long time since he had a shower and he used the very first opportunity to get rid of the dirt covering his body. The relief he felt at that moment was almost incomparable to anything.

"It’s fucking cold!" he grinned cheerfully and started laughing.

Milly sprang to her feet, alarmed, and ran to the edge just to see her newfound companion enjoying a cold bath, fully clothed. The water directly around him looked filthy in a way that would have been comical, had she not known the reasons for his lack of personal hygiene.

"You sould have taken off your clothes first… now you’ll have to be stark naked in the wind if you don’t want to freeze when you come out."

Milly looked at the scanner, then all around at the barren surface of the planet, and shook her head. “Yeah sure. I’ll go and find a scrawny lizard or two to turn into a sumptuous dinner. But not before I’ve throughly searched the wreckage for supplies. With a bit of luck, a couple ration packs may have survived. Who knows, there may be also a spare suit tugged under a seat to keep your provident self warm…”

"I have spare ones tugged in the multidimensional pockets, of course! Do you really think I’d do something that fatuous? Because of course I wouldn’t!" but he did take off his miserable clothes and went on washing them since one could never know when such rags would be useful.

"Lizards are good. They’re full of proteins, you know. And much tastier than the soup slugrillas were serving," apparently his good mood for now was completely indestructible. Hard to be surprised, though. The newly found freedom tasted brilliantly after being chained to a wall for such a long time. His hands still hurt but he didn’t care much about that, and after taking care of his clothes, he left them on the lakeside and continued swimming, clearly enjoying the cold bath.

"Right. How could I ever think you would. I’ll check anyway just to be sure."

The fire was almost estinguished in most sectors of the small shuttle. As she cautiously searched the wreckage for anything useful, Milly couldn’t help feeling grateful for their luck. When that last blaster shot had reached their ship, just the moment they thought they were out of range, she’d feared for the worst. And yet, with half the controls damaged beyond any use and the engines just about to follow the same doom, that weird ragged man had managed to land them safely - if not gracefully - while she had not been able to do anything more helpful than to strap herself to her chair and scream her throat dry.

All things considered, his prediction about her usefulness back in that cell had not been completely unfair - although his mention of leaving her behind surely was.Well, at least now he seemed to be in a good mood.

She came back to the lake after a while, holding a bright coloured tin can in each end, and sipping from one of them with what looked much like a crazy straw.

"Found a few packs of what looks like instant noodles and a couple fizzy drinks that could taste worse. Want some?"

Of course it wasn’t fair. That’s why in the end Omega didn’t left her and shielded her, not letting them harm her in any way possible. His motives weren’t completely noble though. He knew that if harmed she’d complain more and her company would be quite annoying. And even though his exterior might be somewhat gruff, he was in desperate need of company. Not that he’d admit it to anyone, including himself.

During Milly’s absence he washed himself clean and stretched his body knowing that water would alleviate the pressure on his muscles and joints, making the exercises much more safe.

"Sure," he answered and got out climbing on the nearest rock and after getting the drink he sat down and started sipping it with visible contentment, not caring much about anything else. Even the wind didn’t bother him, especially when one of the suns showed up and warmed his skin.

Milly sat next to him for a few minutes, sipping her drink without talking. Then she got up, disappeared behind the edge fo the cliff for a few moments and came back with two steaming cups of instant noodles. Well, “cups of noodles” was a figure of speech. For starters, they weren’t proper soup bowls, but an old tin can that had previously contained some circuit spare parts, and what looked like a pencil holder with an unintelligible yet embarassing company logo printed on it. And to top it off, the noodles looked more like gelatinous springs. Nevertheless, Omega’s scanner had declared them edible, and the smell wasn’t so bad.

"I couldn’t find any chopsticks. I’m happy enough that i managed to boil some water, to be honest…"

She walked to the lake, washed her hands and her face and came back to eat her noodles, fishing them out of the can with her fingers, blowing on them to cool them down.

"Well… here we are. As they say… bon appetit!"

Well, she could also grab some cloth since Omega’s clothes were still drying on another stone. Or at least his bag where he was keeping his belongings. But he himself was far from complaining. It was warm enough that he wasn’t freezing and he was so absorbed by his meal that the rest of the world could not exist.

The food was terrible but in comparison to what he had to eat for prolonged time, it tasted delicious so once it cooled a bit, he quickly finished his portion and sighed with contentment and laid down relaxing. She could exactly see how famished he was and how the slugrillas diet was destructible to his body. Still, he was finally clean and while being in a better mood he looked much better.

"I have several ideas for the device so if one option fails, there’s always another. You can stop being grumpy now. Consider it as a form of… vacation."

"I’m not grumpy. It’s just my face". - ‘this and the fact that you still aren’t wearing anything’ she thought. "You know, if we’re talking holiday destinations, i’ve seen better. Even that one time I ended up on the wrong planet by mistake. With the only company of a demon with an identity crisis. Oh my, right now it kinda looks like it’s becoming my MO, doesn’t it?"

"I’m just trying to find bright sides. I myself have seen better and worse places to be so I see why one could be not pleased in our situation, especially when we both got out of the prison completely unharmed. Cheer up, kid. Once we get to my TARDIS, I’ll drop you whenever and wherever you want. Maybe thinking about it will improve your mood?" he ignored the identity crisis part. It was better for both of them.

Whenever. Well that was a decision that needed some pondering. Space travel was so widespread that a hitchhiker could go just about everywhere with some patience and a versatile digestive system, but time travel? Not so much. Most of the temporal powers shared the Vogon’s attitude towards hitchhikers, and even if you managed to persuade them to give you a lift, you never knew where you would end up - and how.

"Well… just a chance to see the notorious Euridyce would be enough to make me happy. Actually flying somewhere in it would be beyond awesome. And i’m telling you I’m not grumpy, I’m just tired. I’m surprised you’re so energetic all of a sudden. I could sleep for a day. Sure, we came out of there without a scratch, but this hole here" - she took off her jacket, which sported a big scorched hole on its lapel, left by a blaster hit that just about missed her side while they were running - "says to me that we were more lucky than skillful".

She shrugged and rolled the jacket into a pillow, laying down in the sun next to the naked Founder. “Then again, it wasn’t so bad. We got out in one piece and you didn’t blow up the planet. Everybody wins. I like your style by the way. And you have to admit I wasn’t so bad either.”

"Well I think I’m just glad that I’m finally free. I bet soon my body will refuse to work but at least I managed to land here relatively safely and get myself together so that’s nice. And I’d say I have more skill than luck so perhaps we provided balance in our escape," he stood up and stretched his limbs.

"Of course I didn’t blow up the planet. I didn’t have proper equipment with me," he said lightly and went to the ship. He took out his bag and after a longer moment of fumbling he finally found his spare clothes - plain black turtleneck, black trousers with several handy pockets, leather buckled boots and long, green cloak. While getting dressed he was considering pros and cons of starting to work on the device right away but he decided that perhaps after getting a proper sleep his brain would work much better.

After finding several blankets he got back to Milly. “Maybe we should make a fireplace. The AC in the ship is unrepairable and the nights here may be cold.”

Milly didn’t exactly look away while he was getting dressed. With a few more meals to help him cover his bones, she decided, he could definitely be considered handsome. Were she ever to get tired of being a girl one life or another, she thought she may even consider copying his appearence. He somehow managed to have some sort of clumsy grace - for what it could mean. With every moment he made, he transmitted a general impression of surprised joy, as he were constantly amazed to have limbs. Milly wasn’t sure how much this was really him, or if she was reading too much in it for she knew his story.

"Yes, sure. ‘Built a fort with a Founder’. I’ll keep the throphy up there on my shelf along with ‘Sunbathed with a Founder’ and ‘Ate instant noodles with a Founder". She grinned. "Also ‘Got shot at with a Founder. Though this last one is a bit less quaint. Ok, then, let’s get it done before we both get too sleepy to start."

"So apparently you regained your upbeat demeanour. Good. It means you can work harder!" he gave her a laser scythe and showed a forest growing nearby. "First of all try to find dry forest bed. Don’t go to deep. I’ll join you after I prepare a proper place for the camp fire. If you see something suspicious, don’t go investigating alone but get back here and inform me. You never know when your luck runs out and having an immortal as a shield is worth considering. Now off you go! If you still want to get that ‘built a fort with a Founder’ trophy."

"As you wish" she said, in the less snarky tone she could manage. She took the tool - which she barely recognized but hoped would be able to use without losing a limb - and walked to the woods. "Don’t go investigating alone, he says" she muttered when she was far enough not to be heard. "Why not "don’t wander off’ now that we’re there."

She smiled to herself. She liked that weird old man. He looked incredibly happy to be alive - not just now, not just because of their escape, but in a deeper way, like coming back from his inimaginable exile had carved that joy of living into his being by contrast. He also had a sense of humour, which was an uncommon but welcome trait for a time lord. If he could be considered a time lord. He didn’t feel like one. He felt… well, all things considered, he felt younger. Maybe it was because he never had the time to be tainted by that same history he had contributed to create.

Milly snapped out of her thoughts as she reached the woods. She regretted not having asked him to lend her his scanner too. The forest wasn’t dark or thick, and she didn’t feel any immediate danger, but she would have been more comfortable having some kind of advantage on the predators possibly roaming around.

Oh well, no use getting paranoid now. The sooner she got her work done, the sooner she could go back to the camp.

Apparently, she didn’t get through his carefully constructed mental shell. After returning from the black hole he’d lost his purpose so he desperately sought the way to make his immortality more bearable. In order to avoid being consumed by apathy he tried to act somewhat exuberantly, hoping that the behaviour would translate into his general feeling and enable to divert his thoughts from utter hopelessness.

Sometimes that actually worked.

He knew exactly that using the phrase ‘do not wander off’ would result in the opposite since Milly already proved on several occasions that she was quite a rebellious type so he used more diplomatic way to make her stay nearby.

Omega dropped the blankets on a clearing, close to the wreckage. Then he carefully got rid of grass growing the place chosen for the camp fire, and encircled the plain ground with rocks which he brought from the lake.

When he finished, he took the scanner and, as promised, went to the forest to join the young Time Lady.

He found her sitting on the ground, apparently playing with the dead leaves, the laser tool abandoned a few steps away. The sound of his steps approaching startled her.

"Oh, it’s you" she whispered. "I’m not slacking off, I swear. Just stay still and listen!"

She waited a few seconds to make her point, then started again: “Not a sound. Not a bird singing, not a branch being broken by something stepping on it, not a movement in the undergrowth… nothing. I’m no Cerulean, but I don’t think that’s normal. There must be some animals though. Look!” ’ she moved aside, to let him see the spot of ground she had freed from the leaves. There were evident traces of small lifeforms - a little curl of earth that had passed through a worm’s digestive system, a dead bug carapace, fragments of snail shells.

"So where have the big ones gone?"

"Well, the scanner found nothing so they’re either high in the sky or deep underground. Maybe the fauna on this planet was destroyed sometime ago and just several species survived the catastrophe. It’s not like we can do anything unless something resurfaces so let’s focus on making the camp fire. Get the forest bed, I’ll search for wood," he took the laser scythe and went for searching dry branches that would be good for the fire.

A bit disappointed, Milly got up and started stuffing her pockets - desolately empty but still bigger on the inside - with leaves and branches. Omega wasn’t quite getting her point. Sure, he looked convinced that he could get them out of there in a relatively short time, but the complete lack of macrofauna meant that if it was a matter of more than a few days, they’d probably resort to a diet of worms and fungi. Sure, they could have a nice fireplace, but forget everything about barbecue.

On the other hand, no preys and no predators was better than an abundance of both…

After she was done - her pockets looking just slightly stuffed from the outside - she walked deeper into the forest, following the noise Omega was making. The task was made considerably easier by the fact that he was the only thing able to make noise in that wood.

"Do you need a hand?" she asked, when she thought she was near enough to be heard.

Maybe but they were Time Lords and therefore they could survive much longer without food. Plus, Omega was quite sure that he could get them out sooner than the need of eating fungi would arise. She was simply worrying too much.

Omega didn’t hear her, completely focused on slashing through branches and collecting wood on a pile. They would take it away later on. Fortunately, there were several dead trees that could be easily burned.

"Hey, mister lumberjack, i said: do you need a hand?"

She realized a moment too late it wasn’t probably the best choice of words, and tried to cover the mistake: “And before you chop off my head too, it wasn’t supposed to be some very tasteless pun”, she added, effectively making the whole thing sound much worse.

"I’m just offering to help. I don’t care if you think I’m paranoid, but I really don’t like this forest and I want to go back to the ship asap.”

He stopped chopping the tree and remained silent. Suddenly, he slowly started tuning his head. And didn’t stop even when it turned far beyond natural angle, until he faced the Time Lady. But instead of his eyes there were empty holes which were oozing thick black liquid, falling down the face in a way that denied laws of physics.

The creature grinned unnaturally widely showing and made a cackling sound while the joints of its limbs stared turning towards Milly as well.

"Run!" Omega abruptly bumped into her to divert her thoughts from the creature, took her hand and ran in the ship’s direction.

Milly was screaming. Sure, not a sound could make it out of her throat, and her gaping mouth was as open and silent as that of a fish, but internally she was screaming quite a lot.

When Omega - the real one? She really hoped so - bumped into her and took her hand, the tiniest shadow of her scream managed to come out, a small and kinda pathetic moaning sound that gave her no relief. Her stomach seemed to have climbed through her throat, and her arms were so covered in goosebumps that she could feel her skin crawl. Still, her legs seemed definitely keen on doing their job.

She couldn’t resist peeking behind her shoulder while they ran…

She couldn’t see the creature moving. It just kept appearing right behind trees they just passed. But this wasn’t their only problem - even though they didn’t wander off that much, they still didn’t reach the clearing. The way back seemed to be much longer than the way in.

Feeling her fear, Omega without any more ado pressed his own calm into her mind, trying to clear her perception and let her focus on their escape. He squeezed her hand gently trying to hearten her as much as he could.

Finally, they exited the forest but he didn’t stop running until they reached the wreck. Even though there was no trace of the creature, Omega took out one of his devices and put a magnetic shield around them.

"I have no idea what it was. But it couldn’t be blown up by antimatter and that tells me that it is made of something else than usual matter. What’s more, something’s wrong with the forest. I was close and screamed but apparently you didn’t hear me. As if… as if the forest was attenuating sounds. And the he space seemed to be folded. I don’t like it."

"What I don’t like" said Milly, as soon as she had got her breath back, "Is that that… thing didn’t appear on the scanner. "It means we could be surrounded right now, and we would have no way to know it."

She looked around, trying to rememeber if there had been anything different when they left - a lump of metal? A broken door? One of the dozens boulders around them? She knew that was the road to paranoia, but she hoped she could handle it, for now. At least while she could still profit from that little clarity borrowed from Omega while they were running.

"Thank you for that thing you did. With the mileage i’ve gained lately, one would think i’d have lost the habit of panicking by now, but nope. Still happens. I really should stop. And just to contradict what I just said: are you sure a magnetic shield would do much to stop a thing like that? Also, let me understand: you see something strange and the very first thing you do is, you try to blow it up? Is it wise? We didn’t even know if it was really hostile, but it will be for sure by now…"

"Nope. I’m definitely not sure whether that magnetic field will help or not. But it’s better to have it activated nevertheless. And yes, I do try to blow things up. But maybe that’s not the first thing I do. In that case I waited for a moment to find out if it was going to bite off my arm. And it certainly did. Which was quite amusing since it looked just like you. Anyway, I immediately ran towards you leaving it behind, just to find out that a) the distance had been changed and b) there was another creature or maybe the very same that this time looked like me. You know the rest of the story. So. In conclusion it was hostile before my attempts to make it explode so worry not. The fault is not in me," he took out a few logs from his multidimensional pockets that he managed to fetch.

"It changed my plans a bit. I hoped we’ll have some proper rest before working on anything but for obvious reasons we should leave this place as soon as possible. If I had all of my gear, I’d gladly spend more time on this planet and study this creature but without it I don’t want to risk anything. Now, please, make the camp fire. And keep your eyes open. Someone has to keep watch while I’m working."

"Wait a minute: you’re telling me that something that looked like me attacked you and you tried to blow it up right away? Did you at least make sure it wasn’t actually me before you tried to kill it dead?”

She flipped her pockets inside out as she spoke, an awful lot of dead leaves and small branches pouring out of them like in a bizarre conjuring trick, and forming a small mound on the ground all around her.

"Yes, I think we’d better hurry. I don’t fancy being eaten alive by a weird mix of clones of myself and a bossy founder. That would be an original way to go but I’d rather not."

It wasn’t easy to concentrate on making a decent camp fire while constantly looking out for enemies that could look pretty much like anything.

"Do you think there could be a way to recalibrate that scanner? If that thing - or things - can copy us, and it can make itself visible, wether to our eyes or to our minds, it might as well be detected somehow… if that doesn’t mean stealing too much of your time. It’s just that… judging by the speed at which the shadows are moving, the days look pretty short here and i’d rather not be counting on eyesight alone if we’re still here after nightfall… "

"Well. Last time I checked you didn’t have empty sockets crying black tears instead of regular eyes so I kind of didn’t have any doubt concerning your identity. Now shut your orifice and stop insulting my intelligence, will you? It makes me want to make you explode as well," he fumbled with the scanner a bit, searching for other options. "I don’t think so. It doesn’t emit heat and consists of a substance that this device can’t detect. We’re dealing with a ghost. But there’s one thing common in both impersonations. Eyes and mouth are different. And it makes this strange cackling sound. It may be helpful in identification. Plus, I haven’t seen it outside the forest. Maybe it can’t leave it. Honestly, I hope so."

"Rude" Milly muttered, keeping herself busy with the fire. What the hell, maybe she wasn’t thinking exactly straight, but she wasn’t running around screaming either. She was doing her best, but this old man didn’t seem to notice. That hardly seemed fair, considering he would have been still in that cell if it weren’t for her. Sure, the same could be said about her…

She almost said something like ‘i wish we had some tea’ but kept her mouth shut to avoid another snarky remark from him. Besides, he looked quite busy.

Well, at least the fire was finally up and going, and there seemed to be no traces of the creatures. Just the metallic clangs, whirring sounds and the occasional muffled curse in old high gallifreyan that marked Omega’s efforts, and the nice, reassuring crackling sounds of the fire.

Milly had learnt to like that sound. Controlled flames usually meant the situation was under control too. She started to relax a little bit. That sound was nice.

Bit loud though. And also a bit weird, now that she was listening with more attention. It seemed to bounce against the rocks of the crater, like it was coming from all around them.

And then Milly’s perception shifted, and she realized it wasn’t the fire at all. It was that sound they’d heard in the forest. She jumped to her feet, looking around. She couldn’t see anything. Her eyes were telling her they were alone. But according to her ears, they were surrounded.

If she were more polite and treated him with due respect, he’d be nicer. Being insolent wouldn’t let her go too far.

Except for burnt fingers the work was progressing but he still wasn’t sure if it would work - he had to improvise several times when it came to materials but there still was feeble hope that the device wouldn’t turn into ash at the very moment he tried to turn it on. But the device itself wasn’t complicated, especially when the most important and delicate part could be retrieved after disassembling the ship’s console which he already did. Perhaps they could leave the planet sooner he assumed earlier.

He was so absorbed by his work he failed to see Milly’s strange behaviour.

"Omega…" she whispered, not daring to talk louder. She doubted keeping her voice down would help in any way, but still she didn’t want to attract the creature’s attention any more. It wasn’t a rational thought, more the basic instinctual reaction of an animal facing a predator.

"I’m afraid they’re here…"

He immediately stopped fumbling with his device and looked around, obviously failing to see anything. But the peculiar cackling couldn’t pass unnoticed.

"Here are the options we have when they come closer. We try to use that blasters that I’m sporting in my bag. But since I couldn’t blow it up with antimatter, I don’t think they’ll work. We can try to use fire since they seem not to like light in general. We can wait here and see if they can get through the barrier. Either way, I’ll try to finish the device before they will be able to crawl up too close. The front line is yours, I’m afraid," he went back to work, beforehand telepathically sending her a mental wave of encouragement.

"Oh, thank you so much”, she said, but she couldn’t stop herself from letting out the telepathic equivalent of a purr: that last comment had somehow made her very happy, though not the tiniest bit less scared. She fished out a blaster from Omega’s bag, more as a source of comfort than out of hope it would actually help. She had no idea if those things were the kind of predator that smelled fear, but she was determined not to encourage them more than it was necessary. Trying her best to concentrate on her hearing alone, she started walking around her companion, trying to assess the distance of the enemy, ready to… well, she hadn’t thought about that yet. What was she going to do if one or more of those things were to come closer? Distract them, maybe. Play for time. She just hoped the legends about Omega being some sort of a tinker genius were true…

He smirked when he felt that purr. Kids these days… But there was no time to think about anything else than on the work. The front line was hers, obviously. He hardly ever fought indirectly, usually settling himself in the back and constructing cannons with a kettle and a string, letting others take control before he could deliver the final blow with whatever he constructed a moment earlier, shaping his device according to the situation in order to make the use as much beneficial as he could.

The creatures were getting closer and finally they could see. There were around twenty of them and each and everyone of them was shaped after a horrifying, twisted, perverted even versions Omega and Milly, all eyeless, oozing black liquid, making that cackling sound… Some of them were lacking limbs. Other had too many. Another were knit with each other, unholy siamese twins.

At least they indeed seemed to dislike fire so the Time Lords had time until the the last log burned out.

The creatures didn’t seem to want to come too near, for now. Maybe Omega was right, Milly thought, maybe they didn’t like the light. And just in case they were to decide to take the risk, it was up to her to make sure he’d be able to keep working until the last second.

Except there wasn’t much she could do. As hard as she wanted to make herself useful, she couldn’t find a single way to actually be of any help. All she could do was watch the creatures, her horror slowly turning into awe, as her mind tried to get used to the disturbing images. She wondered if there was a reason for their appearence. Why were they copying the two of them? To frighten them? Confuse them? To gain their trust? Or was it the only way they could take a form? What did they look like when none was there to watch them?

”When a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it will it still squash someone dead?” she muttered to no one in particular.

One of the creatures - Milly couldn’t tell which - seemed to cackle louder, as if in response.

A treacherous shiver came up her spine, shaking her whole body. Milly hoped Omega had not heard her teeth rattle.

He still kept the bond between their minds so he knew what she was feeling. “Easy now. Just observe if they do anything funny. On your place I’d just do the same. And don’t give in - I think they try to induce fear in us. Try to keep your head clear. Or just dump wrong feelings on me. I can handle them,” he finished next stage and quickly moved to another.

"If there’s no one in the forest, a tree won’t squash someone dead. Because there is no ‘someone’ as you previously stated. But I believe the question was ‘ff a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Then the answer is yes and no. Because it’s boththe sensation produced by stimulation of the organs of hearing by vibrations transmitted through the air or other medium, andmechanical vibrations transmitted through an elastic medium,travelling in air.”

"Unless there is someone, but he’s deaf, so he can’t hear the tree as it starts to fall and so is unable to get off the way before it squashes him flat."

Milly knew she sounded like she was losing it, but that wasn’t how she felt. Sure, she was terrified, and she could feel the treacherous presence of the creatures in her mind as easily as she could feel the comforting one of Omega, but that didn’t mean she was losing it.

She knew there was something she was missing, something useful, hidden in that little human quote, something that had caused her to fish it out from her memory in a moment like this.

Then she got it.

"The deaf man in the forest. We are it! I am."

She detached herself as hard as she could from the contact with Omega and directed all her attention to the faint psychic tendrils the creatures were using to scare her, swimming upstream, throwing herself in their chuckling network and listening…

She was completely insane. Omega knew it. “What are you doing, for fuck’s sake!” he yelled and before she drowned in that network, not without an effort he enveloped her mind, trying to shut any influence from her, making her back down.

Have you lost your mind?! These creatures can either eat your consciousness or try to possess you! Look at them! They already adapted our appearance! What else they can do? Can you tell? Because I can’t and I’m definitely not going to risk my mind just to appear useful. You’ve already proven yourself so stop mindlessly throwing yourself into danger.

With that he ended his telepathic tirade and went back to work, still embracing her mind.

Milly let Omega pull her back without any attempt at resistance, both because she knew she couldn’t oppose him in any way, and because the last thing she wanted was to distract him any more.

She sat heavily on the ground, still looking at the monsters closing in around them. “I’m not.” she said, using words because right now her thoughts sounded like an old radio in a thunderstorm. “I’m not insane. I found you a way to fight back.”

She remained there for a while, just breathing, staring and feeling her skin crawl. The monsters were still all around, staring back and doing that horrible cackling sound, now meaningless again. But for a moment Milly had known what they were saying, and she hadn’t liked it at all.

"They want to eat you." she said as soon as her mind cleared enough for her to speak. "They like your mind. Can’t blame them. But they fear it too."

She had to take another break. Ok then, maybe she had been a tiny bit foolish. She felt like there was an army of tiny centipedes marching right under the surface of her skin, and if at the base of her skull there was a mouth endlessly chewing tinfoil. Neither was a nice picture.

"You may manage to harm them. Or scare them at least. I sure can’t, but maybe you could."

Oh, for hell’s sake, was she going to need all night to say a few words?

"Whatever you do, do it quickly. They’re tired of waiting."

"Well, apparently they have a terrible taste. Being satisfied with leftovers while a fresh mind is within reach. Maybe they just like rot," he murmured bitterly. "I’m not going to fight them. That time in captivity made me go weaker and damaging my mind even further is something I simply cannot afford not now and not ever. Let’s say it’s our last resort then."

He definitely didn’t like the fact they probably could sense his weakness. Because if creatures like these could, someone much more intelligent wouldn’t have any problems with that as well.

…the fire was slowly burning out.

Damn! This was exactly the answer Milly had hoped the most not to hear She just had hoped that… oh well, she didn’t know what she was hoping for. She just knew Omega was some kind of a legend and kinda worked on from that, but now she realized that may have not been the wisest course of action.

The creatures sounded more excited now, and though they didn’t have proper eyes to stare at things, Milly knew their attention was drawn to the light of the fire that was already glowing dimmer.

This would have probably been a good moment to think about something deep. It was always so in the stories she liked to read when she was still on Gallifrey. But right now, there was nothing Milly considered worth of thought. She wasn’t even scared anymore at this point. She just felt mildly curious about what would happen next…

"Maybe find something in the wreck that can be burned, will you?" he interrupted the train of her thoughts, still meddling with the device, still frowning upon it and trying other solutions.

He wasn’t afraid. He knew he’d survive since he was immortal and even though his body could be torn apart, he’d keep living. But then he’d lose control over himself and sink into his own madness. The only thing he was truly afraid of.

Milly sprang to her feet - immediately regretting it as a pang of migraine filled her vision with tiny bright sparks.

"Yes, right. I should have thought of it myself" she said, cautiously walking backwards towards the wreck, without taking her eyes off the creatures. They looked like their patience was at an end.

Finally Milly had to force herself to stop looking at them, to use her eyes more usefully to look for anything that could be burnt to give their dying fire a little more time.

Although she could still hear their awful noise, just not being looking at them anymore made her immediately feel much better. Directing all her attention on the task at hand also helped. If she had to concentrate on finding flammable materials, she didn’t have to think about her immediate future, which was quite an improvement.

After a while, she came out with a small booty in her arms, and carefully proceeded to feed the fire, trying her best to make it last as long as she could.

"I think that’s all that was left in there" she said, "I really really hope you’re getting somewhere with that thing you’re trying to build…"

"Perhaps you couldn’t. They seem to crawl into minds and muddling thoughts. Especially those that may lead to their harm. Don’t be harsh on yourself," he ended the conversation now focusing only on his work. At least he had something that enabled him refrain from thinking about the creatures surrounding them. Omega because of lack of his devices he found them simply annoying, If he had his lab around, he’d make them useful but in that case he wanted to leave as soon as possible. Theoretically he could experiment on them after he summoned Eurydice but currently his priority was connected with him relaxing somewhere peaceful for a year or ten.

The things Milly brought were not enough to keep the fire for too long. Several spans later the creatures begun slowly crawling towards the Time Lords, cackling loudly with anticipation.

This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. Maybe Omega wasn’t as worried as she was - after all, he could survive being eaten alive. At the very worst he would become some sort of vengeful god again. As for her, she wasn’t so lucky. Still, he was the one that had a chance to get them out of there, so the priority was to keep him safe as long as possible.

Milly took the best stick out of the fire and used it as a torch, walking around Omega and waving her improvised weapon at the creatures, determined to give him any last second she could.

She went on like this for quite a while, until the flame at the end of the stick was little more than a trace of ember and good intentions.

"Ok, now it’s really a good moment to be done with your work."

As she said this, the first beast attacked. Out of instinct, Milly swiped her stick at it. Maybe the creature remembered the stick had been alight since a moment ago, or maybe he felt her intention, because he backed away. The one that came after it, however, wasn’t so cautious, and the same went for the ones that followed.

Milly disappeared under a flood of black eyes and sharp teeth.

But there was something much worse she could feel at that moment than these sharp teeth and claws that were ready to tear her body apart. Suddenly the group was flooded withpresence. Presence of something unspeakably ancient, completely insane and terrifying, whispering into minds the suggestions of twisted, unholy images of unnatural perversion having no place in that universe. The horror kept creeping into souls, overwhelming minds and threatening to squash them lazily with its own weight as if they were nothing more but mere, insignificant maggots. A mere touch of that presence was maddening. What would happen if it decided to attack?

Suddenly, Milly could feel something grabbing her arm and leading her out the group of eyeless creatures towards pedimented doors abstractly standing on the ground without any walls to support them. Behind them there was a spacious room with a console standing in the middle. It looked different than consoles found in other TARDISes.

With a slight movement of his wrist Omega threw the ship into the vortex. They were safe.

Milly sat on the floor of Eurydice,  trying her best to take in the fact she was still in one piece. She couldn’t find the words for what she wanted to say, so she just sat there, feeling overwhelmed.

This place looked… well, she couldn’t really describe what it looked like. Differnt from how she’d imagined it, for sure. It felt old, weird and oddly welcoming. She looked all around her, taking it all in, then down at the floor that was humming lightly.

"Sorry" she said, "I’m bleeding on your floor."

As her first words after having been almost sure she were going to die, they were pretty silly ones. To be fair, Omega had been so fast to save them both, doing… whatever it was he did, that the creatures had barely had the time to give her a couple nibbles. She licked her arm, where one of the creatures had managed to sink its teeth.

"Was it you?" she asked. "That… thing. That scary-ass thing. That was you, wasn’t it? I thought you were… What you made me feel in the cell, it was nothing compared to that. Is it really you? Is that what you are?"

Milly sat on the floor of Eurydice,  trying her best to take in the fact she was still in one piece. She couldn’t find the words for what she wanted to say, so she just sat there, feeling overwhelmed.

This place looked… well, she couldn’t really describe what it looked like. Differnt from how she’d imagined it, for sure. It felt old, weird and oddly welcoming. She looked all around her, taking it all in, then down at the floor that was humming lightly.

"Sorry" she said, "I’m bleeding on your floor."

As her first words after having been almost sure she were going to die, they were pretty silly ones. To be fair, Omega had been so fast to save them both, doing… whatever it was he did, that the creatures had barely had the time to give her a couple nibbles. She licked her arm, where one of the creatures had managed to sink its teeth.

"Was it you?" she asked. "That… thing. That scary-ass thing. That was you, wasn’t it? I thought you were… What you made me feel in the cell, it was nothing compared to that. Is it really you? Is that what you are?"

In the middle of the room there was a bright, glowing pillar without any buttons or levers typical for TARDIS consoles. But it only took Omega’s one gesture to activate ergonomic console holograms enabling the user to control the ship. Still, it seemed that some commands were to be entered telepathically.

Perhaps the feeling of antiquity was coming from the fact that Omega thoroughly chose the oldest but yet still useful coral he could find. Therefore the TARDIS had her own distinct personality unsuppressed by technology and her consciousness was much easier to reach. The feeling was welcoming because the ship indeed welcomed the young Time Lady, not hiding certain curiosity. It was rare for Omega to bring someone on the deck.

Seeing Milly being injured the Founder just picked her up and brought her to infirmary where he placed her on one of tables and begun patching her up.

"You said they can be scarred off so I decided to give it a try. It worked, apparently. And the answer is: partly."

"I can see for myself it worked." she said, trying not to watch what he was doing with her bite marks. The last thing she wanted was to start crying in front of a Founder. Actually the bites didn’t hurt that much, but she’d always been on the squeamish side, and not being used to getting into physical fights, she regarded any kind of injury as a personal offence. "You scared me quite enough, though I could somehow tell since the very start that no harm would come to me. I can barely imagine how it could have felt to them. I would be sorry for them if they weren’t about to shred me to pieces.”

She shivered at the memory. “Do you know that since I started travelling, this is the nearest i get to really getting hurt? I just hope it doesn’t mean my luck is starting to run out…”

Omega took out an enormous syringe filled with pale, luminescent liquid and injected it right into her organism through one of the main veins in her arm. “Don’t flinch. And next time don’t lick your arm if you are bitten by an unknown creature. We don’t know if it was poisonous. Now hold your breath.” He stapled the edges of her wounds together using a medical stapler to stop the bleeding. After a proper sleep the wounds would heal quickly and the staples would dissolve in the tissue leaving no traits.

"Now imagine I have to bear with a mind like that each and every second of my existence." He didn’t seem to mind though. Everything was fine until he lost control over himself. And that didn’t happen. Recently.

"Maybe it’s not your luck but my bad. Still, it could be much worse. So perhaps you’re still lucky and just the threat was much bigger than usual. Either way, I need a proper meal. And proper vacation in general. Some spa or someth—" suddenly he stopped talking and collapsed on the floor.

Milly had kept her eyes closed and her face turned to the other side to avoid any risk of seing what Omega was doing, but she immediately forgot her own struggle not to cry when she heard him fall. She jumped down from the bed she was sitting on and crouched next to him.

At first she feared he’d been hurt by the monsters without her noticing, and started to panic, but then she remembered what he’d told her back in the cell. Something about this kind of thing happening to him from time to time. He had been vague about it, but he’d made it sound like it wasn’t dangerous. She hoped it was just that.

"Omega?" she whispered, not daring to touch him, neither with her hand nor with her mind. "Are you ok?"

"…’ve been better," he mumbled clearly having difficulties to talk. Apparently, apart from his internal organs his face was the only thing that still could somehow move. “‘ood it happened now. Not earlier. Would be… problematic. Adrenaline’s good thing. Gotta rest."

"Yes, definitely problematic. Maybe we shouldn’t be so hard on our luck. It’s been working overtime for days, after all." She got to her feet, walked to what looked like the environment controls of the room and tried her best to figure out a way to politely ask Euridyce if she could grow a mattress under her pilot. She gave up soon - hopefully before she could do anything seriously wrong - and just grabbed a blanket and a couple pillows from a locker.

"Sorry, I don’t think I could lift you dead weight to the bed. I can’t do much more than this". She carefully placed a pillow under his head, and covered him with the blanket. Then she cuddled next to him on the floor, hugging the other pillow. "Goodnight" she said, wondering if her fiddling with the environment control had worked after all. Either the floor was getting softer, or she was more tired than she thought. In a matter of seconds, she was snoring.

"I’m not planning on getting into troubles anytime soon and I’m really thinking about vacation. I’d even ditch some of my experiments…"

Milly surprised him when she cuddled right next to him even though she could pick almost any bedroom she wanted if she asked. And when he stated he needed some rest, he meant something around five spans of staying in that position and waiting for his body being able to move again. But after a short calculation when was the last time he slept, he decided to go to sleep. Or perhaps indulge in a healing short-termed coma that would improve his well-being in a couple of hours.

Even though Milly wasn’t doing the right thing, Eurydice got the point and after a moment or two a nice, big and comfortable mattress surfaced beneath both bodies.

In normal conditions snoring would irritate him but that time he effortlessly fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> shamefully unbetaed rp copypaste. will fix all the series some day when i'm less of a lazy arse.


End file.
